The New Dress
by Freckled Princess of Arendelle
Summary: Marinette comes to school in a new dress she designed herself. What will Adrien say when he sees her? And what about the jealous Chloe? (Adrienette/Marichat)


_Welcome to my new ML story. :)_

* * *

The New Dress

"Well Tikki? What do you think?"

Marinette stood in front of her life-size mirror with a bright smile on her face. She turned to the right and then to the left, acknowledging the new dress she made.

As the girl turned and glanced at herself, her small kwami friend fluttered around her. "The dress looks so nice on you! I'm sure everyone's gonna love it!"

Marinette turned to her with a hopeful smile. "Do you really think so?"

"I know so! You worked so hard on it!" Tiki admitted, prompting Marinette to look down at herself once again.

At the moment she wore a short light blue summer dress with thin straps, a semi-sweetheart neckline, and dark bluebell flowers embroidered on the hemline. The soft materiel felt soft against her skin and Marinette loved how the dress reached just at her knees. To complete her simple yet nice appearance, Marinette pulled out the hairbands holding her pigtails and she added a bit of mascara, eyeshadow, and lipgloss to brighten her face. Marinette had to admit that she felt so proud of the dress. It had taken her weeks to sketch, sew, and embroider it.

Marinette knew Ayla will force her into a full-out photo-shoot and make her change her Facebook profile picture. And Adrien….the very thought of him made Marinette blush and melt into a warm puddle. What will he think when he sees her in it? Will he like it? She only hoped so. While the the dress was being made, Marinette found herself constantly dreaming about what Adrien's reaction will be and what he will say.

Stroking down a small crease, Marinette gave her reflection a small smile and moved to grab her bag. "Let's go Tikki!"

A bright and smiling Tikki flew into Marinette's bag and the two best friends moved down the stairs, ready for another day in school.

* * *

"I'm off!" Marinette announced as she skipped down the stairs. Sabine and Tom both turned and beamed at the sight of their daughter.

"You look beautiful!" Sabine said happily.

"The most beautiful girl I've ever seen!" Tom added.

Marinette giggled and hugged both her parents goodbye. "Thanks Mama! Thanks Papa! See you later!"

"Here are some fresh baked macarons for lunch." Sabine added and turned to the kitchen counter. She held up a small, rectangular, white box and Marinette took it.

"You're the best parents in the whole world. I love you so much!" Marinette smiled and kissed her mother on the cheek. She then skipped over to her father and kissed him goodbye before turned to the door and hurried out.

* * *

Marinette thought that she was going to come into the academy confident, yet the moment she stepped a foot into the classroom, every bit of that confidence disappeared.

"You know what Alya? I don't think I can do this. Maybe I should just go home and change into jeans and a T-shirt." Marinette squeaked in the hallway.

A few feet away, the classroom was loud with talkative students and almost everyone was in there except for Marinette and Alya. Marinette would've been in the classroom by now if she hadn't walked in and saw Adrien seated in his chair and talking to Nino. The sight of him made a very timid Marinette jump back into the hallway.

"Will you relax? You look beautiful. It's not like you just rolled out of bed with bad breathe and B.O." Alya teased and crossed her arms.

"I didn't think Adrien would beat me to class! I was hoping…"

"That what? You'd get to class first, sit down, and Adrien would notice you dress from that angle? You gotta go in there and show him the whole figure!" Alya said and gestured to Marinette's shaking form.

"What if he won't like it? What if…"

"You'll never know if you don't get your butt in the classroom girl. Now c'mon!" Alya laughed and before Marinette could protest, the girl grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room.

* * *

"Did you hear about the new game that just came out?" Adrien asked Nino as they reclined back in their chairs.

"Yeah dude we should totally go to the store and get it! I heard from Max that it's pretty sick!" Nino chuckled.

Adrien rolled his eyes with playful tease and turned to the back of the room where their classmate sat. "Of course Max would get his hands on it first. I bet he's already on level five."

"H-hi Adrien!"

Both heads turned at the sound of the nervous voice and Adrien's bright eyes lifted up to the two girls who stood in front of him.

"Hi Mari…." his voice faded at the sight of the blushing Marinette. For a long moment Adrien did not know what to say as he took in the new dress, the light touch of makeup, and the way her raven hair fell loose from its usual pigtails. It took a playful punch on the arm from Nino to get back to his senses.

"Wow Marinette, you look beautiful." Adrien whispered.

Beautiful. That one word made the crazy butterflies in Marinette's belly flutter in sudden glee. No one has ever called her beautiful except her parents, Alya, and Tikki. And coming from Adrien's lips made it more wonderful. She felt her cheeks flush bright red and her lips curve into a timid smile. It took a playful nudge on the side from Alya to get back to her senses.

"T-thanks Adrien." she stammered.

"Did you make it all yourself?" Adrien asked.

"She sure did. You should know how long it took her! The poor girl has been up for nights trying to get every stitch right!" Alya said and looped her arm around Marinette, who was still smiling wide and blushing as red as a strawberry.

"That's amazing, you have serious talent!" Adrien exclaimed. He continued to watch Marinette as she and Alya walked over to their desk and sat down.

"Thank you Adrien. T-that definitely means a lot to me." Marinette beamed and felt herself glow with sudden pride. She could not believe that Adrien Agreste, the son of world famous fashion designer Gabriel (and to to mention her crush) thought she had serious talent. It was as though the compliment had come from Gabriel's lips himself.

Adrien smiled up at the aspiring fashion designer, while Marinette looked up and met his gaze. She gave him a small, flushed grin in return just as Madame Bustier walked into the room to start the lesson.

As Marinette and Adrien took out their tablets and books, neither one of them was unaware that a pair of narrowed piercing blue eyes watched them from the other side of the room.

* * *

After class, Marinette and Alya walked over to their lockers to get their books. Throughout the entire lesson Marinette was unable to focus on her notes or Madame Bustier. The only thing that replayed in her mind was Adrien's smile and his sweet compliments. There was even a moment in class when Marinette let out a small happy squeal that caused Madame Bustier to stop the lesson and scold her. By the time the lesson was over, Marinette came out of the room with a smile so wide she thought her face would split.

"See I told you Adrien would love the dress." Alya said as she and Marinette stood by their lockers.

"I know!" Marinette said and let out a content sigh. "Did you hear him? He said I have serious talent. What if it's some kind of a sign? What if he's going to go home and tell his dad about me? I could become a fashion designer in Gabriel's industry! Do you know how amazing that would be? Adrien would wear all my designs and then we'd get married and..."

"Yeah I know have three kids, a dog, and a hamster." Alya laughed. She closed her locker and pressed her history book to her chest. "Ready to head to class?"

Marinette smiled wide and looped her arm through Alya's. "Ready!"

* * *

Later that day, Marinette and Alya stood in line at the cafeteria and talked about the latest fashion trends. As they reached for dessert, the two of them jumped when Chloe Bourgeois approached them with a strawberry smoothie in her hand. Sabrina trailed behind her with Chloe's lunch tray.

"Hi Marinette! Hi Alya!" the blonde girl chirped in a bright, sunshine-filled voice that definitely caught the girls off guard.

Marinette turned and arched a brow at Chloe's sweet smile. "Um hi Chloe."

"I just want to say that I love your new dress. It's so cute! I'm sure Adrien adored you in it." Chloe admitted as she eyed Marinette up and down.

"Thank you, and yes he did like it." Marinette said slowly and exchanged a look with Alya, who looked just as suspicious. Since when did Chloe compliment anyone other than herself on their appearance?

"You know I have something nice that would complete the outfit. How about a touch of smoothie pink?" Chloe suggested. She then lifted the smoothie and splattered it all over Marinette's dress.

"NO!" Marinette cried out as the cold drink seeped through the blue fabric.

Her hands released her grip on her tray and caused all her food and silverware to crash on the floor. Panicking, Marinette grabbed a handful of napkins to try dabbing the stain away, but it was futile. No matter how hard she tried to smear it off, the red splotch only spread. Marinette felt her eyes become moist with tears and a large lump grow in her throat. This could not be happening. How could Chloe be so cruel?

"What the hell Chloe? Is there ever a time when you're not such a bitch?" Alya growled and took a menacing step towards the blonde.

Chloe though, pushed her hair back and let out an amused snort. She wanted to make a scene, and got her wish. Beside her, Sabrina's eyes were wide with shock, since even she thought the move was a bit too rash.

"Oops, looks like I was wrong. Red and blue look quite unattractive on you." Chloe chortled.

And with nothing more to say, Chloe turned and sauntered off. As she passed Kim and Juleka, the two surprised teens both shot her a narrowed glance that showed their disbelief.

Sabrina turned away from Chloe and looked at Marinette with a pitied glance. "I'm so sorry Marinette!" she stammered before she bowed her head and hurried away.

With a disbelieved shake of her head, Alya turned to Marinette, who dropped the wet napkins on the floor and took a large step back. Hurt, Marinette wrapped her arms around herself and hurried out of the cafeteria. She ignored Alya's calls behind her and picked up her pace until she was out of the cafeteria and away from everyone.

* * *

Marinette did not stop until she reached the restrooms.

Stepping inside, Marinette stumbled over to one of the sinks and grabbed its edge so hard that her fingers ached. With a shaky breath, Marinette bowed her head and let out a few shattered breathes. She then lifted her gaze to the mirror and swallowed. Her make-up was mixed with her tears and the dark pink stain looked absolutely hideous.

With a helpless shake of her head, the young woman bowed her head and burst into tears.

On any other day Marinette would not have let Chloe's insults and bullying affect her, yet today was definitely not one of those days. For the first time Marinette cried because of something Chloe had done to her. Chloe had called her nasty names before and made her tick, but now she had gone too far. She must've overheard Adrien compliment Marinette in class and let her jealousy take over. Marinette was sure of it. Why else would she remark about Adrien in the cafeteria?

The door to the bathroom creaked open, and Marinette lifted her head up from her hands. Straightening, Marinette reached up and brushed the tears from her cheeks. She would not let anyone see her cry.

"Marinette?"

Marinette's eyes widened as a blonde head appeared in the restroom. "A-Adrien?"

She brushed back a few more tears and there he was, standing in the girl's bathroom with a concerned look upon his face.

"What happened? I heard there was a scene." he said.

Marinette sniffed and turned away from the boy so he would not see her face. She remembered Adrien telling her how beautiful she looked in the dress, and how she had amazing talent. Back then she felt wonderful and beautiful. Now, as Marinette stood in the center of the bathroom with a tear-streaked face, a stained dress, and swollen eyes, Marinette knew that she was the complete opposite. She looked soiled.

"It was Chloe." Marinette revealed in a bitter voice. "Chloe came up to me and Alya at the lunch line and 'complimented' my dress. She then threw her entire smoothie on it."

Adrien looked at the stain and then at Marinette in silent shock. He shook his head slowly and found himself scowling at Chloe's cruel behavior. Did Chloe really have to be so cruel to everyone?

"I should've known Chloe would do something like this. That girl never quits when it comes to making everyone miserable." Marinette whispered. She looked down at the dress and shook her head in dismay. It would take more than a few paper towels to wipe the stain away. Would the stain even come off?

"Hey it's just a smoothie. I'm sure it'll wash off." Adrien assured her gently.

Marinette sniffed as Adrien then took ahold of her hand and led her to the sink. Grabbing a few pieces of paper towel, the blonde boy wet them with water and began to wipe away the make-up from Marinette's face.

Marinette's lips curved into a grateful smile as Adrien cleaned her up. He was just too sweet. "Thanks Adrien. But what will I do about the stain? I can't go around the school looking like this." she said and gestured at the very visible splotch.

Adrien looked down at the stain and rubbed his chin in thought. A few moments later, a light smile appeared on his face and he looked back at the girl. "I think I know how to help you with that."

Marinette lifted a curious brow. "How?"

"Come with me." Adrien said and took her hand into his. Marinette felt her heart flutter as she gripped Adrien's hand into her own.

They moved to the door just in time for it to open and Mylene and Mireille to step inside. The two girls looked up and stopped chattering as the couple approached them. Their eyes then widened in much surprise at the sight of Adrien in the lady's room. Standing beside him, Marinette's cheeks turned red in slight embarrassment and she crossed her arms over herself.

Adrien blinked in surprise and then gave the two girls a meek grin. He stepped aside and gestured to the door with his free arm.

"After you ladies." he said with a playful wink.

The blushing Mylene and Mireille both giggled and moved into the restroom, while Adrien turned back to Marinette and gave her a small embarrassed shrug.

* * *

After they passed the cafeteria, the couple walked down the empty hallway to their lockers. Once they approached Adrien's locker, the boy opened it and withdrew a brand new jean jacket from inside.

"Here, this should cover the stain."

Marinette took the jacket and looked up at her friend in sudden surprise. "Your jacket? Are you sure?"

"Take it, I insist." Adrien said with a nod.

Marinette pressed her lips together pulled the slipped the jacket on. Her hands disappeared inside the sleeves so the girl rolled them up to her wrists. Adrien smiled as he watched Marinette adjust the jacket to her comfort. He had to admit that the covering looked nice on Marinette. It did a good job with hiding the stain and overall it was a perfect addition to the dress. This jacket was meant to be for men and boys, yet Adrien suddenly wondered if his father could make a design for women. And if his father would not do it, then maybe Marinette will. She definitely had potiental.

"What do you think?" he asked and leaned against the door.

Marinette grinned and looked down at herself. She brushed down her hair and looked up at Adrien. "It's really comfortable. Thank you Adrien."

"No problem, and I gotta say that it looks good on you." Adrien said with a playful wink. He then fished out his phone from his bag and glanced down at the time. "We still got some time before lunch is over. Did you eat already?"

Marinette felt her smile fade at the mention of lunch and she looked down at her shoes. Even though she was hungry, she did not want to return to the cafeteria and face Chloe again. At the sight of her small frown, Adrien turned and titled his head to the side. A sudden smile formed on his lips as he turned back to his locker.

"Nathalie brought me lunch from your bakery. Wanna head down to the courtyard and eat with me? I got sandwiches and cookies that I don't think I'll finish by myself."

Marinette's eyes widened as she watched Adrien retrieve a large paper bag with her bakery logo. Looking up at the smiling boy, Marinette's felt her frown instantly disappear. If only she could reach out and kiss him right there and then. When she turned to her left though, she felt a slight disappointment when she noticed Alix and Kim walking towards them. So instead, she took the offered bag and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'd like that…oh and I have chocolate macarons! I know how much you love them."

"Great, then let's go." Adrien said and closed his locker door. As they began to make their way towards the courtyard, the couple turned the corner and bumped straight into Chloe.

"Hey who do you…" Chloe's angry scowl fell as she looked at Adrien and Marinette. Her eyes then fell on the jacket Marinette wore and her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Who allowed _you_ to wear that jacket?"

"I did, because some selfish girl thought it would be amusing to ruin her nice dress." Adrien said and gave the girl a cold glare that told Chloe who that selfish girl really was.

Chloe turned to the boy and her mouth flew open at his harsh words. For a split moment she looked as though Adrien struck her across the face before she turned to a frowning Marinette. Scowling, Chloe was about to open her mouth when Adrien suddenly grabbed Marinette's hand and began to pull her away.

"Come on Marinette."

And with nothing more to say, the couple brushed past the shocked and dumbstruck Chloe Bourgeois. There was no way they were going to let her ruin their lunch again.

* * *

After an eventful day both at school and filming a fashion commercial, Adrien sat at his desk in his bedroom. It was late into the evening and the boy was supposed to be doing his math homework. He sat at his desk with his notes and book scattered around, yet Adrien's mind was far away from trigonometry. Instead, he found himself seated with his chin in his palm and his pencil tapping at his incomplete worksheets. While his hand tapped away, his gaze was straight on the blank spot on his wall.

Ever so curious about his master's strange behavior, Plagg flew over to where Adrien sat with a piece of camembert. "Aren't you supposed to be doing these strange triangle problems?"

Adrien's head snapped up. He looked down at his blank worksheet and then at the time on his phone. It was well past ten. "Crap you're right!"

"Let me guess, you're thinking about your spotted lady aren't you?" Plagg guessed and gobbled down his cheese.

Adrien blushed and continued with his first problem. "Not exactly,"

"A piece of cheese for your thoughts?"

Adrien let out a weary sigh and turned to his nosy little friend. "Remember when I told you about a girl in my class named Marinette?"

"Yeah so?" Plagg gave him a small shrug.

"Do you remember the new blue dress she wore to school today?"

The black cat kwami snorted. "And you said she looked beautiful? Yeah I heard all that mushy gushy love talk!"

"She was beautiful!" Adrien argued and looked down at his homework. He then closed his eyes and rubbed a hand along his forehead. "I just can't stop thinking about her. She has serious talent and then Chloe had to step up and make a scene!"

"But you gave her your..."

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_ "Adrien?"

Adrien swung around in his chair and Plagg quickly took cover. Wide-eyed, the boy looked back down at his homework. One problem done and fourteen more to go. He quickly swiped his notes over his work. The last thing he needed was for Nathalie to see him unfocused. "Come in!"

The door then opened and his father's personal assistant stepped in. A light frown appeared on her face as she looked at the nervous Adrien. "Your father just called to remind you about your photoshoot tomorrow at nine. I already called Principal Damocles to excuse your absence."

"Okay, thanks Nathalie."

"Your father also wants you to bring the new jean jacket to the shoot. The one you wore to school today." Nathalie added.

"Great! I got it in my closet!" Adrien insisted with an eased grin.

"Okay, don't stay up too late. You need rest." With a bow of her head, Nathalie stepped out and closed the door behind her.

The moment she was gone, Plagg appeared from underneath Adrien's pillow and flew up to his master. "Let me guess you don't have the jacket?"

Adrien face-palmed himself and turned to the black cat with a worried look. "Marinette has it! I left right after lunch and she wore it for the rest of the day. I..I need to get it back! If there's one thing Father can't stand it's missing clothes for a shoot!"

Adrien stroked his chin and turned to his homework. He had a good feeling that Marinette still had the jacket back home. He knew he could not go and ask Nathalie if he could go retrieve it. And the Gorilla was done being his chauffeur for the day. He could run over to the bakery tomorrow morning before the shoot, yet what if Marinette planned to give him the jacket in school?

"Here's a suggestion! How about you go get the jacket from her right now?" Plagg spoke up.

Adrien gave him a strange glance. "But you know Nathalie won't let me and the Gorilla..."

"Or how about you transform and visit your Juliet as Chat Noir?"

Stunned, Adrien turned and his kwami and eyes widened. "That's not a bad idea Plagg!"

"Of course it's not a bad idea!"

* * *

While Adrien transformed and made his way over to the bakery, a happy Marinette was sitting in her bedroom and finishing up the last of her homework. She still wore her blue dress, yet now there was no pink smoothie stain. Right after school, Marinette walked home with Alya and her parents had the dress washed and dried. Now it was clean and soft once again, and Marinette could not be anymore happier. Nearby, Adrien's jacket laid on her bed, ready to have it return it to him the next day.

With a light sigh, Marinette set down her pencil and leaned back in her chair. "I'm so glad that we were able to get the stain off."

"Me too, now Chloe will have to try a lot harder to ruin it again!" Tikki said with a giggle.

"Let's hope she won't try anything at all." Marinette said and then turned to a framed picture of Adrien on her desk.

Her lips curved into a warm smile as she thought about the blonde boy. "Adrien was so sweet though. He actually sneaked into the girl's room to see if I was okay. And then he gave me his jacket to cover up the stain."

"What he's done for you clearly..." Tikki's voice was suddenly interrupted by a light tapping on her window.

Surprised, Marinette and Tikki exchanged a quick glance before the raven-haired girl stood up. She moved to the bed and slipped Adrien's jacket over herself. As Tikki stayed at the desk, Marinette walked up to the window that led to the balcony. She pushed the door up and slipped her head into the cool night. A light breeze blew against her hair as Marinette appeared out and closed the door behind her.

"Well well I'm certainly glad to see you." a familiar voice spoke up.

Marinette turned around and sure enough, Chat Noir sat lounging on her deck chair. A playful grin crossed his face, yet the moment Marinette turned around, his grin slipped and his eyes widened at the sight of the girl in the blue dress and his jacket. Truth to be told he never thought she would still wear it at this hour. Marinette looked just as surprised to see Paris's feline hero on her balcony. She had not seen him since he saved her from the Gamer.

"Chat Noir! What are you doing here?" she asked.

Chat leapt up from the chair and his mischievous demeanor returned. "I was just _paw-trolling_ the city and thought I'd stop by to check up on you."

"That's so nice of you." Marinette said with a sweet smile that made something inside Chat flutter.

"So how was your day? You look very happy." Chat said.

Marinette told Chat about the new blue dress and how she was so proud of it. She also told him how her crush Adrien complimented her, Chloe's cruel move in the cafeteria, and all about the wonderful lunch with Adrien later after he comforted her in the restroom. The affectionate way she talked about him made it harder for Chat Noir to keep a straight face and not reveal to himself right there and then. He listened to everything with an interested gleam and in the end, could not help but ask Marinette to show him the dress. He just wanted to see her in it one last time without the covering.

"Okay," Marinette took off Adrien's jacket and gently set it down on the railing. Chat's green eyes moved up and down her small figure and he could not stop the enchanted smile on his face.

"Well the kid was right Princess, you do look breathtakingly beautiful." he revealed in a soft voice.

Marinette bit down on her bottom lip and felt her cheeks flush warm with a sudden timidness as she picked up Adrien's jacket. "Thank you Chat Noir."

She then looked down at the jacket in her hands. "I still have to return this to Adrien. He left right after lunch for a shoot and I forgot to give it to him."

Chat sprung up and walked over to the girl. "I'm gonna patrol his place next. Want me to return it to him?" he asked and held out a hand.

Marinette looked back down at the jacket and then at the leather-clad superhero. Her lips curved into a small grin and Marinette handed him the piece of clothing. "Hold on, there's something I else I want to give him. Be right back!"

The moment she handed Chat the jacket, Marinette turned and hurried back into her room. As he waited for her to return, Chat grinned and leaned against the railing. He let the breeze blow against his hair and ears before he lifted up the jacket and stroked the fine materiel. He imagined the jacket on Marinette once again and the fluttering returned in his belly.

"Here you go, and make sure it doesn't get lost." Marinette spoke up.

Chat looked up and smiled as Marinette approached him with a small, pink, folded up note in her hand. The cat took the note and slipped it into one of the pockets of his suit. "I'll make sure to get this and the jacket to him Princess."

"Thanks Chat, for this and coming here. It was nice to see you again." Smiling, Marinette stepped back and watched as Chat sprung up on top of the railing and retrieved his baton with his free hand.

"The purr-leasure's all mine. Stay safe Beautiful." With a final salute, Chat turned around and pounced away, not catching sight of the surprised look on Marinette's face.

* * *

The moment Chat Noir leapt into his dark bedroom, he threw his jacket on the bed and took out Marinette's pink note. Just as he took it out, a flash of green and gold magic appeared and Chat transformed back to Adrien. Plagg flew out of Adrien's ring and landed on the bed with an soft thud, while an excited Adrien moved to his desk chair with the note in his hand. Turning his desk lamp on, Adrien unfolded the note and set it down in front of him. He could feel his heart beat wildly inside his chest as he began to read the neat handwritten message.

 _Adrien,_

 _Thank you so much again for your sweet compliment, for comforting me in the restroom, offering me your jacket, and the delicious lunch. You're truly an amazing friend._

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed this story. Reviews are appreciated!_

 _I have two more ML stories published here titled Roommates and My Hero._


End file.
